Prize Day
From left to right: Hunter Treacy stands with his family which includes Parker Treacy â02 second from right. Ceci Nicol â08 with her family, including brother Zack â11. The Klein family with Alex â08 and brother Adam â11. The Adams family stands with graduate Katie flanked by Josh â96 on the right and Rachel â01 on left.
School. How she has managed to do all this while continuing to pursue her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Pennsylvania is a wonder, unless you live in her dorm, row in her boat, or teach in her department, in which case you have come to know a person whose dedication and sense of purpose enable the accomplishment of almost anything. Kate, as you head across the country and the ocean to Punahou School, in Hawaii (where many of your Groton colleagues are planning friendly visits in February), you depart with our deep gratitude and lasting affection. * * * Lest there be any question about the historic quality of our final faculty farewell, The Circle Voice published a full page tribute to Charlie Alexander, detailing his life and his career at Groton School in two sectionsâAncient History and Modern History. The timeline begins with this: â753 B.C.âRome is founded, Mr. Alexander celebrates.â Modern History began, according to the CV, in 1960, when Charlie and Ann Alexander arrived on this Circle, forty-eight years ago. In the storied annals of Groton School, this is indeed an historic date. Charlie and Annâs fortyeight years of service to Groton are second only to the Schoolâs founder, Endicott Peabody. The length of their tenure, however, is not their primary mark upon the School. They are what we might call âmission-keepers.â In the classroom, in athletics, in the dorm, in the Chapel, and in their home, Charlie and Ann have embodied and enacted the mission of Groton School. They have defined what it means to lead a teaching life, not only for all of us at Groton, but also for generations of teachers at independent secondary schools around the country. The Alexanders are known and admired by âschool peopleâ everywhere for their remarkable commitment to one institution and to the experience of all of its students, past and present. On May 16th we held a gathering to honor the Alexandersâ five decades of commitment. There were nearly 500 people under the tent that evening, nearly as many as there are here today, and the tributes were deeply moving. Here are a few excerpts:
From Gussie Bannard, trustee, former Groton faculty, past parent, and recently retired head of St. Catherineâs School in Richmond: âOf course, Charlie taught in every sphere of his life: on the fields; on the D.C., which he called the most rewarding work he did with students; on the Studies Committee where he helped to steer the curriculum between the Scylla of trendiness and the Charybdis of the tired, tried and true; and in his role as college advisor, where I saw some of the most eloquent and passionate advocacy I have ever seen. He was famous among the great college admissions deans who valued his trademark honesty, knowledge and humor, and, I would venture, feared disappointing him. Charlie would rarely admit it, but I witnessed this: his relationships caused deans to listen and take seriously what he said. He made them want our students.â From Caroline Earle Walsh, Form of 1983: âAnn Alexanderâs was the first face I saw and the most welcoming voice I could imagineâa voice whose lilt I would recognize anywhere. I knew I was bound forever to Mrs. Alexander when she referred to my new school as âthe Chatham Hall of the north.â A little piece of my mother, her alma mater, and herâŚsouthern ways hadâŚinvited [me] to joinâŚin my first real venture into New EnglandâI was almost home. Making people feel at home is certainly something the Alexanders are very good at doing.â From Bill Orrick, Form of 1971, past Trustee, and past parent: âDuring those halcyon days of the late â60s and the early â70s, when the cultural revolution in America hit Groton School, Charlie was not on the side of the rebels. Nonetheless, he did serve on the committee that brought coeducation to Groton School. And he had the capacity to reach out to all of us⌠Quarterly September 2008
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